Congratulations on your purchase of the Delta DiO 2496 digital audio interface card,designed and built by M AudioTM. Even if you are experienced in digital recording,please take the time to read this manual. It will give you valuable information oninstalling your new card and the supporting software, plus help you to fully under-stand the function and usability of the Delta DiO 2496. Once you’re up and running,you will quickly discover the Delta DiO 2496 is the backbone of your digital record-ing system.
What’s in the Box?
Your Delta DiO 2496 box contains:
• This instruction manual
• The Delta DiO 2496 adapter card
• Driver diskette for Windows 95/98 installation, control panel software
• M AudioTM warranty registration card
About the Delta DiO 2496
The Delta DiO 2496 Optical and Coaxial S/PDIF inputs and outputs give you thehighest quality digital I/O available- up to 24bit data width and any sampling ratefrom 8kHz to 96kHz. Record a digital audio signal from your DAT, MiniDisc, CD,or external A/D converter via one of the Delta DiO’s S/PDIF inputs and output toboth S/PDIF outputs. Monitor the inputs, or send the same or alternate mix to theDiO’s 101dB S/N rated analog output. Control the routing with the Delta’s com-prehensive control panel software.
The Delta DiO functions as a 2-input, 4-output card. The DiO accepts a stereo dig-ital S/PDIF signal at one of its S/PDIF inputs at a time (the input is selected from theDelta Control Panel software). Output-wise, a stereo digital S/PDIF signal is alwayssent to both Coaxial and Optical S/PDIF outputs and another completely independ-ent stereo stream is sent to the Delta DiO’s analog outputs.
Within the Delta DiO’s PCI chip is a hardware digital mixer. Controlled by theincluded Delta Control Panel software, it may handle all of your routing needs,giving you extra control of all left, right, and stereo levels, in addition to control ofpans, solos, and mutes.
2
Product Features & Specifications
• 2-in, 4-out 24-bit/96kHz full-duplex audio interface on a half-size PCI card.
• S/PDIF inputs and outputs on Coaxial (gold-plated RCA) and Optical (TOSlink)jacks.
• High-quality stereo analog output on gold-plated RCA jacks, individually con-figurable for +4dB or -10dB signal levels.
• Built-in digital mixer allows the D/A converter to monitor digital inputs, act asits own independent stereo output, or as a mixture of both.
• All data paths support up to 24-bit/96kHz performance.
• PCI controller chip contains built-in digital mixer with 36-bit resolution.
• Includes Windows 95/98, ASIO and Windows NT drivers.
Minimum System Requirements
• Windows 95, 98 or NT 4
• Pentium 200 MMX
• 64 MB of PC100 RAM
• UDMA EIDE Hard disk
3
The Delta DiO 2496 Adapter Card (Figure 1.)
1. Coaxial S/PDIF Input: This RCA connector receives a S/PDIF stereo signal fromyour coaxial S/PDIF digital source.
2. Coaxial S/PDIF Output: This RCA connector sends a S/PDIF stereo signal toyour coaxial S/PDIF digital target device.
3. Optical S/PDIF Input: This TOSlink connector receives an optical S/PDIF stereosignal from your optical S/PDIF digital source.
4. Optical S/PDIF Output: This TOSlink connector sends an optical S/PDIF stereosignal to your optical S/PDIF digital target device.
5. Analog Audio Outputs (Left & Right): These RCA connectors carry the left andright line-level signals to your monitoring or mix-down device. The signal lev-els for each output may be set to +4dBu or –10dBV via jumpers on the PCI card.
Quick Guide to Getting Started
Here is a list of the steps required to get your Delta DiO 2496 up and running:
1. Physically install the card in your computer (see ‘Hardware Installation’).2. Start Windows and allow Windows’ Plug-and-Play to prompt you for the Delta
DiO drivers via the Add New Hardware wizard.3. Install drivers and support software (see ‘Driver & Software Installation’).4. Configure your digital recording software to select the Delta DiO 2496 as its
active audio input and output devices (see ‘Using Delta DiO 2496 with SoftwareApplications’ and also your applications software manual).
5. Hook up your digital audio gear (see ‘Typical Delta DiO Setup’).
4
➊
➋
➌
➍
➎
Hardware Installation
NOTE: It is a good idea to make certain that an IRQ is availablefor the Delta DiO 2496 to install to before proceeding, as resourceconflicts may cause a system to lock up. Open Control Panel |System | Device Manager, then with "Computer" highlighted atthe top of the list, click Properties. This is a list of IRQs in use andtheir related devices. The Delta DiO 2496 typically uses one ofthese IRQ’s: 5, 7, 9-12, & 15. If a number does not show up in thislist, it means that it is available for use.
To mechanically install the Delta DiO 2496, do the following:
1. Turn off your computer.2. Remove the computer’s cover and position the computer so that you may easily
access its PCI slots.3. Select the PCI slot where you will install your Delta DiO card. Make sure it is
a PCI slot. If you don't know what "PCI slot" means, check the owner’s manu-al for your computer. PCI slots are distinguishable from ISA slots by beingshorter and set back farther from the outside of the computer, however somenewer computers have only PCI slots.
4. Before removing the Delta DiO 2496 from its protective anti-static bag, touch themetal power supply case of the computer in order to dissipate any static elec-tricity your body may have accumulated. You might want to pick up a ground-ing wrist strap (available from electronics stores like Radio Shack) if you wantto be doubly sure you aren't carrying a static charge that could damage the card.
5. Remove the metal bracket that covers the access hole on the back of the com-puter. This bracket is usually fastened to the computer with a single screw.
6. Remove the Delta DiO 2496 from its anti-static bag. In the lower lefthand cor-ner you will see two (2) jumpers, one for the left and one for the right analog out-puts. These jumpers control the operating line level of the DiO’s analog outputs.With jumpers on (default), line level is set to -10dB (fine for consumer audioequipment). Remove these jumpers if you wish to operate the analog outputs at+ 4dB (better for pro audio equipment).
7. Position the Delta DiO 2496 card over the target PCI slot and fit the card loose-ly over it with the Delta DiO card upright. Press the card gently but firmly down-ward into the slot until the card is completely and squarely seated in the slot. Ifthe card seems difficult to seat, a slight rocking motion may help.
8. Screw the Delta DiO 2496 metal bracket down into the screw hole on the backof your computer using the screw you removed in step 5 above.
9. Place the cover back on your computer.
5
Windows 95/98 Driver Software Installation
Included with the Delta DiO 2496 is a series of Windows driver diskettes, contain-ing the Windows drivers and control panel software. To install the Windows drivers,please follow these steps:
Windows 98 Installation
1. After installing the Delta DiO hardware, boot your system and start Windows.During the Windows boot procedure, new hardware will be automatically detect-ed by the Add New Hardware Wizard as shown here. Click ‘Next>’.
2. The ‘Add New Hardware Wizard’ will now ask how you want to find the driver."Search for the best driver for your device" is already selected. Click ‘Next>’.
3. Windows will give you a selection of locations to search. Make sure that ‘Floppydisk drives’ is checked, or click on the check box to do so. Insert the Delta DiO95/98 Driver Software disk into your floppy drive. Click ‘Next>’.
4. The ‘Wizard’ reports that its Windows driver file search has found the M AudioDelta DiO. Click Next>.
5. Windows is now ready to install the driver files from the specified location.Click Next>. Windows will start to copy the files and show you a progress reportscreen.
6. The Wizard reports that Windows has finished installing the software. Click‘Finish’. Your Delta DiO is ready for action.
After completion of the driver installation, Windows 98 may require you to restartWindows. If it does request a restart, remove the floppy disk from drive A: andrespond "yes." The system will restart and your Delta DiO is ready for play!
6
Windows 95 Installation
1. After installation of the Delta DiO hardware, boot your system and startWindows. During the Windows boot procedure, new hardware will beautomatically detected.
2. Choose the Install of "driver from disk provided by hardware manufac-turer," then click OK.
3. An ‘Install From Disk’ will prompt you to copy files from the A:\ drive(if your floppy drive is a different drive letter, then change it at thistime). Insert the Delta DiO 95/98 Driver Software disk #1 into the drive,then click OK.
4. Windows will start to copy files, with a progress indicator on the screen.Insert disks in numbered succession when prompted, clicking OK toeach new disk. Once this process completes itself, your Delta DiO willbe ready for action.
After completion of the driver installation, Windows 95 may require you to restartWindows. If it does request a restart, remove the floppy disk from drive A: andrespond "yes." The system will restart and your Delta DiO is ready for play!
Windows Driver Configuration
Windows displays the Delta DiO driver status in the Device Manager page of theSystem Properties dialog box. The Systems Properties dialog is opened via theWindows Start button. Select Settings | Control Panel to open the Windows ControlPanel. Select "System" from the Control Panel to open the System Properties dia-log box, then click on the "+" next to Sound, video and game controllers to open thelist of devices, the Delta DiO being a device of that nature. Below is an exampleview of the Device Manager device list.
7
This example shows the M Audio Delta DiO and Midiman WINMAN 4x4/S (anoth-er product shown here only as an example) entries in the Windows Device Managerdevice list. The Delta DiO is properly installed with no conflicts, as is the WIN-MAN 4x4/S. If you do not see your M Audio Delta DiO in your Device Manager inthis fashion, please jump ahead to the "Troubleshooting" section of this manual.
Delta Theory of Operation
The Digital Monitor Mixer
The Delta DiO 2496 has a hardware digital audio mixer built into its PCI controllerchip. It accepts digital audio streams from the active digital input and outgoingsoftware audio devices, mixes them with 36-bit internal resolution and then providesthe mixed output to one or more locations. The output of the mixer may be routedto the Delta DiO’s analog outputs and/or digital outputs for the purpose of monitor-ing, or it may be used as a stereo mix-down device and recorded by the user’s appli-cation software. The digital audio mixer is configured and controlled by the includ-ed Delta Control Panel Software.
Synchronization
All Delta DiO outputs (and the onboard digital mixer) are synchronized to one mas-ter clock. Therefore they always operate at the same sample rate. Most of the time,the master clock is taken from the Delta DiO’s internal crystal oscillators. However,the S/PDIF In may be receiving a data stream that is completely asynchronous to(not in sync with) the internal crystals. Therefore when recording or monitoring theS/PDIF inputs, the board must be set up to get its master clock from the S/PDIF inputstream. This will force the digital mixer and all outputs to sync to the sample rateof the active S/PDIF input.
Using Delta DiO 2496 with your SoftwareApplication
Once the Delta DiO is installed and the driver software properly loaded, it is readyfor use with your music application software. Some of these applications willrequire that you highlight or enable the Delta DiO drivers within the program, andothers may have a utility that analyzes or profiles the audio cards in your system andenables the drivers.
Within your software application(s), the names of the Delta DiO input devices are 1)Delta-DiO S/PDIF In, and 2) Delta-DiO Monitor Mixer. These two input devicesare stereo and allow you to record either directly from an S/PDIF input, or record amix of input and output that is setup within the Delta Control Panel software (seeDelta DiO Control Panel Software section). Because each of these devices is stereo,you may see them as "Left Delta-DiO S/PDIF In, Right Delta-DiO S/PDIF In", or
8
"Left Delta-DiO Monitor Mixer, Right Delta-DiO Monitor Mixer" when selected inyour recording software.The Delta DiO’s output devices are named 1) Delta-DiO WavOut 1/2, which is theDiO’s analog output, and 2) Delta-DiO WavOut S/PDIF, which is both the coaxialand optical S/PDIF outputs wired in parallel. Analog and S/PDIF digital devicesmay be used at the same time for a total of 4 output channels. Because each deviceis stereo, you may see "left" and "right" references within your software application.This allows the application to pan audio left and right under software control.
Windows may be set up to use the Delta DiO as its default sound card. This allowsyou to use the DiO with the sound applets included with Windows, and also enablessystem sounds to be sent to the Delta DiO. To accomplish this, go to Control Panel| Multimedia. In the Audio Properties page, set the Playback and Record devices tothe Delta DiO input and output devices of your choice.
Delta DiO 2496 Control Panel Software
Once your Delta DiO 2496 is properly installed in your system, you will see a "MAudio Delta H/W" icon in your Windows Control Panel. You can launch the con-trol panel software by double clicking on that icon. You can also create a shortcut toit by clicking on the "M Audio Delta H/W" icon and dragging it to the desktop. Adialog box will ask you if you wish to create a shortcut - click on ‘Yes’.
PLEASE NOTE: "Delta" represents a family of audio products from M Audio, andthe Delta Control Panel software is used by all audio cards in the Delta line.Therefore, certain functions that do not apply to the Delta DiO 2496 will appear tobe "grayed out" in your Delta Control Panel software -- this is normal.
Monitor Mixer Page
The Monitor Mixer is the first page that appears when you open your Delta ControlPanel software. This page controls the digital mixer built into the Delta DiO’s PCIcontroller chip. The output of this mixer may be assigned to hardware outputs, andit may also be recorded as a stereo mix-down device by software.
9
MASTER VOLUME: At the left side of the Monitor Mixer page, you will see theleft and right ‘Master Volume’ faders. These faders control the overall volume of themixer output and have the longest ‘throw’ and highest meter resolution of any levelcontrols in the mixer page. The volume level faders may be controlled individuallyby dragging the fader ‘handle’ vertically with the mouse. The default fader settingis 0dB, or ‘Unity Gain’. Only attenuation is possible through lowered fader settings,as there is no gain inherent to any of the faders.
NOTE: All Control Panel meters are color-coded in three sections:green, yellow and red. The green section represents a safe zone,ranging from the lowest detectable signal level to -12dB (12dBbelow full-scale). Most audio signals should appropriately fill thissection of the meter. The yellow section ranges from -12dB to -2dB as the signal approaches a ‘hotter’ level. For best captureresolution, recording in this area is both safe and advised. Thered section of the level indicator ranges from –3dB to 0dB. On theinput level meters, a 0dB condition indicates overload and audioclipping may occur. Therefore be careful to adjust the incomingaudio levels so that they do not peak in the red section too long(you might use the monitoring capability of the Delta DiO to letyour ears be the judge). On all output level meters, 0dB indicatesfull-scale output -- clipping is impossible on the outputs becauseof the 36-bit resolution built into the mixer hardware.
MIXER INPUTS: The Mixer Inputs are inputs to the monitor mixer. These inputsare hardware audio streams and software audio streams, combined to make the mon-itor mixer extremely flexible. The leftmost input meters are labeled "WavOut 1/2"and indicate the current audio levels being sent from your software application to theanalog output device. The next set of meters to the right are labeled "WavOutS/PDIF" and indicate the current audio levels being sent from your software appli-cation to the S/PDIF digital output device. Finally, the rightmost pair of meters islabeled "H/W In S/PDIF" and indicate the current audio levels at the active hardwareS/PDIF input. Only one of the S/PDIF inputs may be selected and used at a time.This selection is made in the "S/PDIF" page of the control panel, covered in the laterS/PDIF section.
Each set of input channels has independent faders to control its own attenuation.Also note that each "left" and "right" channel of the pair may be individually pannedanywhere in the stereo output mix. Clicking on the pan control handle and dragginginward will bring that signal toward the center position of the stereo image all of theway to the opposite pan position. The pan position value will be represented in theMaster Volume’s status box as a percentage from left pan to right pan of –100% to+100%, 0% being center.
SOLO: Each Mixer Input channel has a "Solo" checkbox associated with it.Clicking on and checking a Solo box will solo that selected channel by essentiallymuting all other signals. When more than one channel has solo selected, all solo
10
channels will be summed to the solo ‘buss’ (path), which is what one might consid-er an ‘in place’ solo as opposed to a PFL, or pre-fader listen (levels and pans stillapply). Unchecking all solo boxes will again send all signals to both output paths(analog and S/PDIF).
MUTE: Every channel has a "Mute" checkbox associated with it. Clicking on andchecking the Mute box will remove that signal from the stereo buss. Unchecking thebox will add the signal back into the stereo buss.
STEREO GANG: All channel pairs on this page have a "Stereo Gang" capability.Clicking on and checking the Stereo Gang checkbox will link (or "gang") theleft/right faders so that both channels may be adjusted together as a stereo pair.
Patchbay/Router Page
The Patchbay/Router page allows you to select the source signal for each of theDelta DiO’s 2 stereo outputs -- Analog or S/PDIF. To display this page, click the"Patchbay/Router" tab of the Delta Control Panel.
The leftmost vertical column of Patchbay/Router page, "H/W Out 1/2," connects theanalog outputs of the DiO to one of four sources:
1. The default setting, "WavOut 1/2", connects the DiO’s analog outputs to yourmusic software or Windows multimedia applet. In other words, when musicsoftware plays audio to the device named "Delta-DiO WavOut 1/2" it will berouted directly to the analog outputs of your DiO board.
2. The second selection, "Monitor Mixer", connects the DiO’s analog outputs to theoutput of the DiO hardware monitor mixer. This output mix can be any combi-nation of software "S/PDIF" and "analog" outputs plus the hardware S/PDIF In.All of these signal paths have adjustable level, pan, solo, and mute controls as setup in the Monitor Mixer page of the control panel software.
3. The third selection, "S/PDIF In", connects the S/PDIF input (the one currentlyselected as the active S/PDIF input) to the analog outputs. The left channel ofthe S/PDIF In is routed to the left analog output and the right channel of theS/PDIF In is routed to the right analog output.
4. The final option, "S/PDIF In (L/R Rev.)", functions identically to the third selec-tion, except that the left and right channels are swapped. Therefore in this mode,the left channel of the S/PDIF In is routed to the right analog output and the rightchannel of the S/PDIF In is routed to the left analog output.
11
The rightmost vertical column of Patchbay/Router page, "H/W Out S/PDIF," con-nects the S/PDIF outputs of the DiO to one of four sources:
1. The default setting, "WavOut S/PDIF", connects the DiO’s S/PDIF outputs toyour music software or Windows multimedia applet. In other words, when musicsoftware plays audio to the device named "Delta-DiO WavOut S/PDIF" it will berouted directly to the S/PDIF outputs of your DiO board.
2. The second selection, "Monitor Mixer", connects the DiO’s S/PDIF outputs tothe output of the DiO hardware monitor mixer. This output mix can be any com-bination of software "S/PDIF" and "analog" outputs plus the hardware S/PDIFIn. All of these signal paths have adjustable level, pan, solo, and mute controlsas set up in the Monitor Mixer page of the control panel software.
3. The third selection, "S/PDIF In", connects the S/PDIF input (the one currentlyselected as the active S/PDIF input) to the S/PDIF outputs.
4. The final option, "S/PDIF In (L/R Rev.)", functions identically to the third selec-tion, except that the left and right channels are swapped.
At this point, you may begin to realize the versatility of the Monitor Mixer and thePatchbay/Router, and the relationship between the two. You may want to re-read thissection and make some practice adjustments within the control panel software tobecome proficient in routing and mixing. If somewhere in the process you becomeconfused, you may always restore the default settings to use the card as a straight 2-in 4-out device.
Hardware Settings Page
The Hardware Settings page of the Delta Control Panel gives you control over mis-cellaneous hardware and software features of the Delta DiO. To display this page,click the "Hardware Settings" tab of the Delta Control Panel.
MASTER CLOCK: This section allows you to select the board’s master clocksource: Internal Xtal (crystal) or S/PDIF In. Master clock operation is outlined inthe Synchronization section of this manual. Be sure to select "S/PDIF In" if you willbe recording or monitoring an S/PDIF stream.
NOTE: If "S/PDIF In" is selected as the master clock source, besure to supply a valid S/PDIF signal to the board’s active S/PDIFinput. Otherwise, erratic timing and improper sample rates will beexperienced.
Once a master clock source has been selected, its synchronization status is continu-ally monitored and displayed below the master clock radio buttons. If internal crys-tal is selected, the status display will always say "Locked." On the other hand, ifS/PDIF In is selected as the master clock source, the control panel will display"Locked" only when a valid S/PDIF signal is detected. It will display "Unlocked"when there is no signal at the selected input, or when the signal is corrupt or hasbecome degraded for any reason.
12
CODEC SAMPLE RATE: This section is enabled only when the board is set to usethe internal crystal (Internal Xtal) as the source of its master clock. It is disabled(greyed-out) when the master clock is set to S/PDIF In. This section indicates thepresent board sample rate, as set by application software. The sample rate selectedhere will be used to drive the digital mixer and all outputs. The "Rate Locked"checkbox is used to force a sample rate upon the system. It is disabled by default toallow software access to all supported sample rates. When checked, it causes thedriver to only operate at the selected sample rate. This means that any applicationthat attempts to open the Delta DiO driver at a sample rate other than the one select-ed here will fail to do so. "Reset Rate When Idle" is selected when you want thesample rate to return to a particular setting when a software application is not active-ly using the board. This is particularly handy for keeping the digital mixer runningat a specific rate.
NOTE: Because the digital monitor mixer runs at the sample rateof the rest of the board, and because sample rate directly affectsfrequency response, it may be desirable to keep the sample rateat or above 44.1 kHz while using the monitor mixer. This isaccomplished by enabling "Reset Rate When Idle" and selectinga sample rate of 44.1 kHz or greater.
S/PDIF SAMPLE RATE: This section is enabled only when the board is set to useS/PDIF In as the source of its master clock. It is disabled (greyed-out) when themaster clock is set to internal crystal. When S/PDIF In is used as the master clock,the software applications need to be manually informed of the S/PDIF Input samplerate. You should select the sample rate closest to that of the S/PDIF source. While‘S/PDIF In’ is the master clock source, and you have a sample rate selected here, thesoftware application(s) using the Delta DiO will be prevented from selecting anyother sample rate.
NOTE:When S/PDIF In is the master clock source, the digital mon-itor mixer will run at the sample rate received at the S/PDIF In.This may or may not adversely affect the frequency response ofthe digital mixer.
MULTITRACK DRIVER DEVICES: The Delta DiO drivers are intelligent enoughto synchronize the beginning of recording and playback across all audio devices onthe board. When using application software that is capable of using multiple chan-nels simultaneously, select "Single and In-Sync" to ensure that all four output chan-nels will begin playback at the same time. Otherwise select "Independent" to allowthe output channels to play independently. This may be desirable if more than oneapplication needs to access different DiO channels at the same time.
DMA BUFFER SIZES: This section allows you to specify the amount of systemmemory dedicated to buffering digital audio. Setting a buffer size that is too smallmay result in clicks or pops in the audio stream as some data may be lost. Largerbuffers cause slightly more latency but prevent the pops and clicks that might occurwith smaller buffer sizes – the default settings are recommended but you may desireto tweak these default settings to suit your tastes.
13
S/PDIF Page
The S/PDIF page of the Delta DiO Control Panel gives you control of the S/PDIFinputs and outputs. This is also where you set up the digital audio format, and selectbetween the coaxial and optical inputs, choosing which is the current active digitalinput. To display this page, click the "S/PDIF" tab of the Delta Control Panel.
Within the "Digital Input" group, you select which digital input is active, the Coaxial(RCA) or Optical S/PDIF input. Only one digital input may be active at a time whilethe other is ignored. Click the radio button next to the desired input to make itactive. Once an input is selected, it is constantly monitored to determine if theincoming data is valid or not. A "Valid Input Detected" message will appear whena valid digital signal is seen at the selected input. Conversely, the message "Invalidor Not Present" will appear when there is no signal at the selected input, or when thesignal is corrupt or has become degraded for any reason.
Within the "Digital Output Format" group, you choose the digital audio format of thedigital outputs. The default setting, "Consumer," is a true S/PDIF format and is rec-ognized by all consumer devices. The alternate "Professional" setting is anAES/EBU type bit stream, but electrically it is S/PDIF. This is a work-around thatworks successfully with some but not all AES/EBU devices.
For both consumer and professional output formats, the "Advanced" checkbox willallow you to force the settings of a few particular status bits in the outgoing digitalaudio stream. The advanced option is for expert users only; otherwise select"Restore Defaults" to allow the Delta DiO drivers to handle the default status bit set-tings automatically. When "Consumer" and "Advanced" are both selected, the group"Consumer Format Advanced Settings" will appear. Conversely when"Professional" and "Advanced" are both selected, the group "Professional FormatAdvanced Settings" will appear.Consumer Format Advanced Settings (Copy Mode): Copy protection, also known as Serial Copy Management System (SCMS), is writ-ten into the S/PDIF subcode, a reserved part of the S/PDIF digital stream that is inde-pendent of the actual audio data being transmitted. It can be used to inhibit theamount of copies that can be made, or allow for unlimited copying. Three SCMSmodes are available. "Original (Copy Permitted)" indicates that the source materialmay be copied by a receiving device. "1st Generation" indicates that the sourcematerial is a first generation copy. Most devices that are capable of recording willreject material with this SCMS mode set. The final option is "No SCMS" which maybe used to override the other two modes and allow a recording device to successful-ly record the audio data. Different devices and similar devices by different manu-facturers may behave differently and require you to set these bits by "trial-and-error"until proper operation is achieved.
Consumer Format Advanced Settings (Emphasis): This status bit is used to indicate if pre-emphasis has been applied to the outgoing
14
digital audio signal. The default is "None" and rarely will any user want to set thevalue to "50/15uSec" which indicates an S/PDIF emphasis mode.
Professional Format Advanced Settings (Data Type):The user may assign the outgoing data as audio or non-audio data. Many devicesignore this setting. The obvious default is "audio."
Professional Format Advanced Settings (Emphasis):The user may choose to indicate or not indicate if pre-emphasis has been applied tothe outgoing digital audio signal. The default is "None" and rarely will any userwant to set the value to "CCITT" or "50/15uSec" which are the two types of empha-sis available in the AES/EBU status block.
About Page
The "About" page, while displaying the handsome M Audio logo and applicablecopyright information, also reports the driver version and control panel software ver-sion. If you have internet browsing capabilities and are currently connected to theinternet, clicking on the Midiman copyright will link you to the M Audio / Midimanweb site.
Save, Delete, Load Buttons; H/W Installed
At the rightmost side of the Delta Control Panel are the Save, Load and Delete but-tons as well as an "installed hardware" set of radio buttons.
SAVE, DELETE, LOAD: The Delta Control Panel will retain the last settings thatwere entered, except for mixer channels with solo settings -- they will default backto ‘on’, and not to solo or muted. However the Save, Delete, and Load functions willallow you to store different sets of control panel settings under different configura-tion file names. These configurations are then available for recall at a later date andtime.
Clicking the ‘Save’ button brings up a dialog box prompting you to name the currentconfiguration. Once you have done this, click ‘OK’, and your control panel settingshave been saved to disk. If you decide that you no longer need a particular config-uration, click the ‘Delete’ button. Highlight the name of the configuration file thatyou wish to delete, and click the ‘OK’ button. To recall a set of saved control panelsettings, click the ‘Load’ button. Highlight the name of the configuration file thatyou wish to recall, and click ‘OK’. Those settings will now appear in the DeltaControl Panel and the driver will automatically update the hardware.
H/W INSTALLED: Several Delta cards may be installed in a system at one time(note: this option may not exist in the first release of Delta software drivers). Thissection displays all (a maximum of four) installed Delta cards, and allows you toselect which particular card is under the control of the control panel software. To
15
select the current card under configuration, click the radio button to the left of thedesired card in the list.
Typical Delta DiO Setup
Now that we’ve visited the wondrous intricacies of the Delta Control Panel, let’slook at a setup that involves a typical transfer of information from DAT to comput-er and back to DAT.
NOTE: Because improper connections can potentially make veryloud noises, it’s a good idea to have monitor levels down whilehooking up audio equipment -- you may even choose to turn yourcomputer off before making the connections.
In this example, we will connect a DAT to the Delta DiO card using coaxial S/PDIFcables (typically, 75 ohm). We’ll also connect the DiO’s analog outputs to a soundsystem for monitoring purposes. A setup like this might be used to transfer a num-ber of mixes from a DAT into an audio editing program, performing the appropriateedits, and then transferring the edited material back to DAT.
The example below may at first look long and laborious, but you will find that mostof the settings are factory defaults and will rarely need to be modified.
16
AU
DIO
S/P
DIF
OUT INOUTR L IN
SOUND SYSTEM
DAT
DELTA DiO 2496
Coaxial Out
Coaxial In
AnalogOut
Typical Setup 1
Transferring from DAT to DiO1. Connect the DAT coaxial S/PDIF Output to the DiO coaxial S/PDIF Input using
a good quality digital cable.2. Connect the DiO analog outputs to some type of amplified sound system. The
sound system should be equipped with speakers or headphones.3. In order to verify proper S/PDIF Input routing, open the S/PDIF page of the
Delta Control Panel software. In the Digital Input section, select "Coax/RCA."This will make the DiO’s coaxial S/PDIF input the currently active input.
4. Because you will be recording from an S/PDIF input, you will need to setup theDiO board to synchronize its master clock with the S/PDIF input. To do this,open the Hardware Settings page of the control panel software. Under MasterClock, select "S/PDIF In."
5. Next, set the S/PDIF Sample Rate selection to match the sample rate of the DATdigital audio. This information is necessary in order for your audio recordingsoftware to know the expected sample rate. We use 44,100 in this example.
6. In order to monitor the digital signal coming into the DiO, open thePatchbay/Router page of the control panel software. In the "H/W Out 1/2" col-umn, select the radio button named "S/PDIF In." This will copy all S/PDIF inputaudio over to the analog outputs.
17
7. Within your recording software, select "Delta-DiO S/PDIF In" as the audio inputdevice.
8. Start your software recording and then start your DAT material playing. Youshould be able to hear the DAT material through your sound system. This veri-fies that the digital audio is making it into the DiO correctly.
Transferring from DiO to DAT, monitoring with DAT1. Connect the DiO coaxial S/PDIF Output to the DAT coaxial S/PDIF Input using
a good quality digital cable.2. Connect the DAT analog outputs to some type of amplified sound system. The
sound system should be equipped with speakers or headphones.
18
AU
DIO
S/P
DIF
OUT INOUTR L IN
SOUND SYSTEM
DAT
DELTA DiO 2496
Coaxial In
Analog Out
Coaxial Out
Typical Setup 2
3. Because you will be playing back at the recorded sample rate, you will want toset the DiO’s master clock to use the DiO internal crystal. Do this by openingthe Hardware Settings page of the Delta Control Panel software and underMaster Clock, selecting "Internal Xtal." Also, under the Codec Sample Rate sec-tion you may uncheck "Rate Locked" if it is previously checked. This allows formore flexible sample rate playback.
4. In order to verify proper S/PDIF Output routing, open the Patchbay/Router pageof the control panel software. In the "H/W Out S/PDIF" column, select the radiobutton named "WavOut S/PDIF." Now the outputs of your music software willbe sent to the DiO S/PDIF Out, and consequently to the DAT.
5. Next let’s make sure the S/PDIF output format is correct. Open the S/PDIF pageof the control panel software. Under Digital Output Format, choose "Consumer."Uncheck "Advanced" if it is checked previously. Now click on the "RestoreDefaults" button to set the default S/PDIF outgoing status bits. This will disablecopy protection and also set the emphasis to "none," allowing the DAT to acceptand record the audio properly.
6. Within your recording software, select "Delta-DiO S/PDIF Out" as the audio out-put device.
7. Start your DAT recording and then start your software playing. You should beable to hear the DAT material through your sound system. This verifies that thedigital audio is making it into the DAT correctly.
19
Troubleshooting
This section addresses potential problems that can occur in all operating systemenvironments, with emphasis on hardware troubleshooting. Within the PC environ-ment there are a limited number of hardware resources (Addresses, IRQs, and DMAchannels) available for use. Since audio cards require many resources, most audiocard installation problems arise from unavailable or improperly set resources.
NOTE: The Delta DiO does not require any DMA channelresources and requires only one IRQ.
If a device in Windows’ Device Manager list has a resource conflict with anotherdevice, a yellow exclamation point will generally appear on top of the icon next tothat device. There can be several ways to approach this.
By highlighting an item with a problem, then clicking Properties (or double-clickingthe item), you will open up a properties sheet for that device. Selecting theResources tab from within the Properties dialog box will allow you to viewresources, plus view possible conflicts by highlighting each item (done by clickingon it) one by one and examining the "Conflicting resource list:" at the bottom of thebox.
Sometimes it is possible that there is a resource problem that is not showing up inthe conflicting resource list or as a yellow exclamation point in the Device Manager.If you have any doubt about the configuration of your device (or just want to dou-ble-check), you can view all of the devices and their associated IRQs by highlight-ing "Computer" at the top of the Device Manager list and clicking Properties (ordouble-click "Computer"). This will present a dialog box with IRQ numbers on theleft, and devices on the right. An entry that reads "IRQ Holder for PCI Steering"along with an installed PCI device (such as the Delta DiO) is normal. If you seeanother device showing up on the same IRQ as the Delta DiO (such as a video card,SCSI adapter, or USB Host Controller), then the Delta DiO has a conflict and mostlikely is not working properly. As mentioned earlier, the Computer Properties list isthe best source of information to establish availability of resources. Clicking theInput/Output (I/O) button at the top of the box will give you a list of Addresses inuse (as well as DMA channels, although none are being used on the Delta DiO).Usually, there are not address problems with PnP devices, but one might note that anaddress of 300h (the default address of the Winman 4X4/s, for instance), will read"0300" in this list (it is a 16-bit hexadecimal representation).
20
If the Delta DiO has requested an IRQ in use by another PCI device, but there areother IRQs available, moving the Delta DiO card to an alternate PCI slot may help.Changing PCI slots will cause the PnP system to recognize the card as new hardwareand re-establish it with a different IRQ. Some newer BIOS (see your computer man-ual) allow the selection of an IRQ for each PCI slot on the motherboard. This canbe very handy in resolving IRQ assignments for PCI devices. However, if there areno IRQs available, some kind of reconfiguring or reprioritizing your system is inorder. Optionally, a second hardware configuration can be created for running twosets of hardware profiles. See your Windows documentation for help in this area.
NOTE: When resolving conflicts between PnP and non-PnPdevices, it is usually easier to re-adjust the resource settings ofthe non-PnP device. Windows is only aware of the resource set-tings of the installed PnP devices and has no information avail-able to it for adjusting the PnP devices around the non-PnPdevices. The exception to this is when a non-PnP device has atrue Windows 95/98 driver written for it, or if the BIOS allowsinstructions for an IRQ to receive a legacy device as opposed toa PnP device. In that case Windows is aware of the non-PnPdevice’s resource requirements.
IMPORTANT: Most sound card installation problems result fromattempting to use system resources (IRQs, address locations)already in use by other hardware or software in the system.
21
Problem: No Sound.
Possible Cause 1: There is a resource conflict with another device inyour computer. Check the Delta DiO 2496 configuration (Address, IRQ) againstthose of the other devices on your computer. If necessary, change the settings for theone or more of the devices
Possible Cause 2: The Delta DiO drivers are not properly installed orare not selected as the current audio output device.
Possible Cause 3: Misrouted outputs in the Delta Control Panel.Check the Patchbay/Router page of the control panel software to be sure the outputyou are intending to use is connected to the desired audio source. Also make surethat if the output is routed from the digital mixer, that the faders are set for propersignal levels and not muted.
Possible Cause 4: Improper connections of the audio accessories.Verify that the Analog Out is properly connected to a digital mix deck or externalmixer/amplifier, or the S/PDIF Out is connected to an external digital audio devicecapable of receiving S/PDIF.
Problem: No visual activity on Audio Input volume (VU) meters.
Possible Cause 1: Wrong S/PDIF input (coaxial or optical) is selectedin the Delta Control Panel software.
Possible Cause 2: The Delta DiO input(s) are not properly selected inthe user’s application software.
Possible Cause 3: Improper connections to audio accessories.
Problem: Repetitious Sound.
Possible Cause: Wrong IRQ or IRQ resource conflict. Often this willresult in a small segment of sound (0.5 to 1 second) repeating itself over and over,sometimes completely locking up the computer. See the general troubleshootingsuggestions at the beginning of this section.
Problem: A third-party Windows digital audio program does not play orrecord to/from Delta DiO 2496.
Possible Cause 1: The Delta DiO 2496 Audio driver is not properlyinstalled. Install/reinstall all Delta DiO 2496 audio drivers (see Windows Softwaresection).
Possible Cause 2: You have not selected the Delta DiO audio driverfrom your application. Many third-party applications require you to select a specif-ic driver (because there can be more than one in an advanced system) for use withthe application. Select the input device named "Delta DiO S/PDIF In" and/or "DeltaDiO Monitor Mixer" as your active audio driver. The manner in which this selec-tion is made is dependent on the application (each one is a little different).
22
Problem: I’m getting some pops and clicks in my audio recording.
Possible Solution: Some accelerated graphics cards use excessiveamounts of system bandwidth, preventing the recording buffer of an audio card fromkeeping up with demand. This can cause clicks in the recording. This problem mayoften be solved by reducing or turning off the graphics acceleration feature of thegraphics card. In Windows, this is accessed from Settings | Control Panel | System| Performance | Graphics.
23
Lifetime Limited Warranty
MIDIMAN warrants that this product is free of defects in materials andworkmanship under normal use so long as the product is owned by the orig-inal purchaser and that purchaser has registered his/her ownership of theproduct by sending in the completed warranty card.
In the event that MIDIMAN receives written notice of defects in materials orworkmanship from such an original purchaser, MIDIMAN will eitherreplace the product, repair the product, or refund the purchase price at itsoption. In the event any repair is required, shipment to and from MIDIMANand a nominal handling charge shall be born by the purchaser. In the eventthat repair is required, a Return Authorization number must be obtainedfrom MIDIMAN. After this number is obtained, the unit should be shippedback to MIDIMAN in a protective package with a description of the problemand the Return Authorization clearly written on the package.
In the event that MIDIMAN determines that the product requires repairbecause of user misuse or regular wear, it will assess a fair repair or replace-ment fee. The customer will have the option to pay this fee and have the unitrepaired and returned, or not pay this fee and have the unit returned unre-paired.
The remedy for breach of this limited warranty shall not include any otherdamages. MIDIMAN will not be liable for consequential, special, indirect, orsimilar damages or claims including loss of profit or any other commercial,damage, even if its agents have been advised of the possibility of such dam-ages, and in no event will MIDIMAN’s liability for any damages to the pur-chaser or any other person exceed the price paid for the product, regardlessof any form of the claim. MIDIMAN specifically disclaims all other war-ranties, expressed or implied. Specifically, MIDIMAN makes no warrantythat the product is fit for any particular purpose.
This warranty shall be construed, interpreted, and governed by the laws ofthe state of California. If any provision of this warranty is found void,invalid or unenforceable, it will not affect the validity of the balance of thewarranty, which shall remain valid and enforceable according to its terms. Inthe event any remedy hereunder is determined to have failed of its essentialpurpose, all limitations of liability and exclusion of damages set forth here-in shall remain in full force and effect.
